15 July 2013 2:56 PM

Beautiful as the Thames is to look at, to cycle alongside or to hover above on a flight landing at Heathrow, it isn't the greatest place to go for a swim. Just ask David Walliams who contracted 'Thames tummy' after swimming 140 miles of it for charity Sport Relief in 2011.
A new style of cruise boat that lets you don swimwear and soak in a jacuzzi while exploring waterways is coming to the shores of the Thames later this month. Invented by Dutch designer Frank de Bruijn, the six-person HotTug uses a bespoke wood-burning stove to heat water. It takes around two and a half hours for temperatures to reach 38 degrees...but if the current heatwave continues, guests could probably hop straight in.

De Bruyn says of his novel design: “It’s much more than a boat, it’s a vessel with different options. When the tug is filled, there is only a narrow rim between you and the water, making you feel at one with your surroundings.”

The HotTug will be moored at The Runnymede-on-Thames hotel and guests will be able to hire the vessel for £90 an hour. They can choose whether they use it as a self-drive boat, a floating hot tub or a self-drive boat with a hot tub. Options, options.

10 July 2013 12:51 PM

The weather gods are finally playing ball it seems...the skies above Wimbledon were powder blue when Andy Murray held the silver gilt cup aloft on Centre Court on Sunday. And now, just eight miles south-west at Henry VIII's regal home, visitors to the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show are flower-gazing in the sun-scorched back garden of the much-married monarch.

If the more famous Chelsea Show is all about flower couture, then Hampton Court's horticultural offering has much more of a summer fête feel to it, where 'grow your own' enthusiasts can feel like they have a fighting chance at replicating what they see when they get home.

There are a multitude of prize-winning show gardens of course, which, one imagines, have become an irrigational nightmare in this unexpected heat. This year, there are three zones to experience over the 34-acre site: Inspire, Grow and Escape that cover off everything from low-cost gardens to conceptual spaces and even a Bee House.

Perhaps a tad surprising is that the show is also great for families. Kids go free and there's plenty to keep children wide-eyed including the International Scarecrow exhibit, where local primary schools have dressed up the fabled bird-frighteners to look like everything from a pearly king and queen to a beheaded wife. Other highlights include the finest, fattest hens you'll ever lay your eyes upon, a Sculpture Trail and the Butterfly Dome, home to 3000 fluttering beauties.

The show runs until Sunday with tickets still available for all days. Afternoon tickets start from £18 per person, which for a family with two children under 16 is effectively £36 for four people - a summer bargain. Visit www.rhs.org.uk

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08 July 2013 5:29 PM

Booking a holiday to see the Northern Lights always comes with an element of risk.

Despite standing in sub-zero conditions night after night, there is no guarantee that the swirling light show will make an appearance.

But visitors to Iceland will at least be able to minimise their disappointment if they don't see the magical green phenomenon with a new attraction in the capital Reykjavik.

The Aurora Reykjavic promises to recreate the awe-inspiring beauty of the Northern Lights using a huge HD projection to immerse visitors in the Aurora Borealis’ green glow.

The experience room is part of a wider attraction which has just opened and aims to teach visitors about how Aurora Borealis occurs and its history.

The Lights themselves can only be seen during winter - sometimes as early as September and right through until March. And the latest observations by NASA predict that 2013-2014 will be another great year to witness the spectacle, following the best appearance in 50 years last winter.

WOW air (www.wowair.co.uk) is offering flights from just £74 each way to visit Reykjavik and for those keen to spot the Lights during winter can buy a three-night package from £224 per person, including a Northern Lights tour, Golden Circle tour, entry to the Blue Lagoon, hotel accommodation with breakfast, transfers and return flights from London Gatwick.

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05 July 2013 10:51 AM

Are you one of the many who missed out on Glastonbury and wished you'd been there to watch the Stones strut their stuff?

Or perhaps you are now bored witless
by your friends blathering on about what an amazing time they had in Pilton...

Well, there are still festival tickets to be had this summer...especially if you're prepared to wander a little. Hot (literally) Portuguese festival Optimus Alive in Lisbon, boasts a line-up to rival some of the better UK events this year.

The weekender, which takes place in Lisbon between July 12-14, has headline sets from Depeche Mode, Kings Of Leon and Green Day.

Other artists on the bill include Jessie Ware, Jurassic 5, Mercury Music
prize-winners Alt-J and dance darlings Disclosure. As many as 90 acts are to play
at the five-stage, 55,000 capacity three-day party in the sunshine.

Tickets start at around £103, including camping. And if you're not keen to drag your tent onto the plane, the festival organisers have made sure it's possible to do things Bohemian style: You can simply rent a pretty
gypsy caravan for the weekend. These cute wooden wagons are situated in the
Lisboa Camping site in the heart of the Portuguese capital, and sleep two to
four people.

The price of 225 euros for three nights includes the
10-minute shuttle to and from the festival, plus use of the campsite’s pool and
tennis courts.

The temperature is currently hovering at around 30
degrees, so there’s no need to dig out wellies or cagoules.
Swimsuits, shorts and sunnies are your only essentials.

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02 July 2013 6:14 PM

New York is known for many things – the height of its skyscrapers; the glorious diversity of its population; the 24-hour carousel that is its nightlife; the atmospheric clanking noise made by the motion of its subway trains – and is generally referred to as 'the Big Apple'.

But next week will see something else that can be considered big, round and revered take centre stage in the city that supposedly never sleeps. What’s that? Why, the sun.

July 12 – a week on Friday – will witness the latest example of what has been described as 'Manhattanhenge'. The term was coined by Neil deGrasse Tyson, an American astrophysicist, to explain the fact that, on two days each year – roughly three weeks either side of the longest day – the setting sun aligns exactly with the streets of the Manhattan grid (which run roughly east-to-west), creating a phenomenon akin to the annual solstice celebrations at Stonehenge (albeit without the 'zany' mysticism and men in unusual hats).

The magic moment will be 8.23pm. And if you stand on any Manhattan Street (as opposed to Avenue, as these run north-south) with a clear view across the world’s most iconic island, you will be able to follow the dying of the of the day above New Jersey.

Streets recommended by Tyson include 14th, 23rd, 34th, 42nd and 57th – with 34th and 42nd likely to prove especially photogenic during this particular solar disappearing act thanks to the presences of the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building respectively.

Tyson also advises that the further east you stand, the greater the effect – all those tall structures giving the sunlight a frame as it streams down these narrow urban corridors.

For those with a love of statistics, the equivalent pre-solstice sunset was at 8.15pm on 29 May. And the same spectacle occurs in reverse, with the winter solstice and the sunrise over Brooklyn and Queens, on 5 December and 8 January (better wrap up warm for that).

Pic: Corbis

Of course, this celestial extravaganza is not a New York exclusive. It takes place in any city with a symmetrical grid system and an uninterrupted view of the horizon. Thus, you can also experience it in Montreal ('Montrealhenge'; 12 July), Chicago ('Chicagohenge'; 25 September) and Toronto (you guessed it, 'Torontohenge'; October 25). The day varies according to the exact angle of each city's streets (none of these named cities have a grid that is laid out precisely east-to-west and north-to-south). The phenomenon is also more likely to occur in a North American city, where streets and avenues tend to run at right angles, rather than in a metropolis such as London, where the jumble of curved roads and higgledy-piggledy alleyways mean that the sun’s rays never have an unobstructed path.

But New York is perhaps the most famous venue for this heavenly show. Cameras ready.

Where to stay: If you fancy catching Manhattanhenge in person, The Hotel @ Times Square (001-212 719-2300; www.thehotelattimessquare.co.uk) is a solid option – partly because, despite its name, it perches at 59W 46th Street in Midtown Manhattan, meaning that the sun’s antics can be enjoyed on the doorstep. Double rooms from $205 (£135).

More on New York, meanwhile, via the official tourist board guide at www.nycgo.com.

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Flanders is gearing up for the centenary of the start of the First World War next year by launching day tours to Flanders Fields from Brussels and Bruges.

The tours last between 11 and 13 hours and include a visit to the renewed In Flanders Fields Museum in Ypres, the restored Belgian trenches in Diksmuide and Tyne Cot Cemetery in Passchendaele - the largest Commonwealth military cemetery in the world.

There will also be a chance to visit the Menin Gate in Ypres for the poignant Last Post ceremony (pictured above), which takes place every night at 6pm.

Poignant: Tyne Cot Cemetery is largest Commonwealth military cemetery in the world

Next year marks 100 years since the outbreak of the Great War and a series of events have been lined-up to commemorate the sombre anniversary.

The renovated Yser Tower Museum in Diksmuide will re-open in February 2014 and will tell the story of the Belgium-German confrontation during the war, while the Vegetable Museum near Mechelen will feature a Gardening during Wartime exhibition in the spring.

Special exhibitions focusing on war artists will take place from May to September at various museums across Flanders and Brussels will host a 1000 Voices for Peace music concert in August. The event will feature a specially-commissioned large-scale oratorio by American composer Philip Glass.

Personal stories: The recently-renovated In Flanders Field Museum is a must-see

In the coastal resort of Nieuwpoort, a new visitor centre dedicated to the Battle of Yser will open in October: the river was deliberately flooded from Nieuwpoort to Diksmuide to block the advancing German army.

Also that month, Antwerp - which acted as a safe haven for many civilians on the run from the Germans - will host a series of events and exhibitions focusing on their experiences.

The events will culminate in a double ceremony to mark the centenary of the first battle of Ypres in Gheluvelt and Zandvoorde in October, followed by an Armistice Remembrance ceremony in November.